CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Darby
Things happened rather fast after that. I had an evening flight the next day, so I hurried back to uncle's from Jared's – this time, he drove me to the restaurant and I drove home.
I felt amazing. It felt as if my whole life had changed and I wondered, with amazement, how I had lived till now. It felt like my whole life had been a dark hallway, leading to this moment in the sunshine. I was still grinning when I walked into Uncle.
“Hey,” I said. “Sorry. I didn't see you there.”
He smiled at me. He was standing in the front hall, just taking off his sneakers.
“No worries, Darbs. Good to have you back. I was just thinking you'd miss your flight.”
I rolled my eyes at him, but I was smiling.
“Thanks,” I said.
He chuckled again. “No worries. Your aunt is out with friends, the boys are working. Want some coffee?”
I nodded. “That'd be great. Thanks.”
We went through to the kitchen. We sat at the table. He seemed inclined to talk.
“Now, listen,” he said. “This man of yours... Alex seemed a bit concerned.”
I laughed. “Trust Alex. Look, I know. Alex is super-protective of me. But I told him about it and he's okay with it now. Trust me.”
He nodded. “Good.”
I told him about the way things had changed. How Jared was going to go back to college. He nodded gravely.
“That's good, Darby. Really good.”
I nodded. “I know.”
We talked a bit longer. He gave me some advice.
“You know,” he said. “People are weird. If you do something with enough confidence, everyone will completely accept what you're doing.”
I nodded. “You're right, uncle.”
“So,” he said, draining his coffee and setting the cup aside, making it look tiny in his big, farmer-style hand, “if your colleagues give you shit, just ignore them.”
I nodded. “Thanks, uncle. I know. I don't know why that ever meant something to me. It doesn't. My happiness means more to me now.”
He nodded. “That's good.”
“I know.”
I couldn't quite believe, thinking back on how I'd been thinking all those months ago, that I ever thought otherwise.
I left at midday and got on the plane at four. It was going to be a long flight.
But, I thought as I leaned back in my seat, my body aching pleasantly inside and my mind tender with thoughts of our night together, I wouldn't have had any different.
The first thing I did when I got home the next morning – after making coffee and checking my mails – was to search for colleges.
I managed to find a course in Waltham, MA, at Bentley college. It was selfish of me, perhaps, but I wanted him to be close to Newton. I considered ringing them, but in the end I texted the link to Jared.
He called me.
“Darby! You're safe at home now?”
I nodded. I was touched. “Thanks. Yes. I am. You saw the...”
“Yes!” He interrupted me excitedly. “I did. Wow! You think they'll take me?”
I laughed. “You can ask. I think with enough good referrals they might do. You might have to go to some kind of night classes first, though.”
“Anything,” he said. “I want to do this so badly.”
I chuckled. “I'm so pleased to hear it.”
“So am I.”
His voice sounded so sexy that I shivered. “Good,” I said.
He laughed.
The move would only happen in six months' time – we both knew that because we knew he had to do the apprenticeship first. But that didn't stop him from coming up with a plan.
“There's a few holidays between now and then,” he said. “If there were cheap flights, maybe...”
I laughed. “It might be worth coming to check out Bentley university?”
His voice was breathy. “I don't know if that's what I wanna check out. But yeah.”
I shivered with longing. “Well, then,” I said.
“Good.”
We talked some more and hung up. The next day at work I floated in.
“Hey!” Arlington, the office gossip, greeted me coolly when I came in and went through to the coffee-room. “You're finally back.”
I nodded curtly. “Yes, I am.”
I couldn't help the fact that a secret smile played round my mouth. I was glowing with happiness. It was going to show, one way or another.
“So,” she said. “We all noticed you'd been away quite often. Something up?”
I laughed. “Well, I'm having a passionate love affair with a wild cowboy whose studying a degree in logistics and I had to intervene in a legal dispute with his boss.”
She laughed. The made-up eyes narrowed. “That's funny. But seriously. You're okay, aren't you? We were all worried...”
I nodded. “I'm fine.”
I walked out smiling.
I am serious, I wanted to say. Yes, I know it sounds like a crazy story. But life can be crazy sometimes.
The first holiday to come up was Thanksgiving. The day before the event, I found myself driving to the airport. My heart was thumping in my chest.
I waited with everyone else, trying not to feel the mix of elation and concern that was gnawing like a wild thing in my tummy.
He's on the plane. He's fine. Just a minute now...
The plane had landed and people were starting to come through the doors. I watched them pass, my lip clamped between my teeth.
There!
I felt my heart thump as he sauntered through the doors. He had that savage elegance he'd had the first day I met him, walking with the lithe ease of a predatory creature. My loins were flooding at the sight of him.
“Darby.”
His eyes lit up, a warm, twinkly blue, when he saw me. He looked at rest. Happy. Confident.
My mouth tasted his.
“It's good to see you,” he said.
“Shall we go home?” I asked.
He laughed. Nodded. “Mm.”
I drove us to my apartment, my heart thumping crazy-fast in me. We could barely wait to get through the doors. We fell on each other in the lift, his mouth devouring mine. We reached my apartment and fell in through the doors.
“Oh, baby,” he moaned.
We collapsed on my bed. I was shivering as he tore my clothes off my body and I started to tear his off.
We collapsed onto the bed together, my legs around him, his cock pushing at my entrance. He entered me and I cried out in wonder as that hard, throbbing cock thrust in me until I thought I was going to burst.
I shivered and panted and cried out in his arms and then, gritting his teeth, he cried out a moment or two later. We slept.
The next day was Thanksgiving.
I had decided to stay in Newton this year. We did, however, have a party at work. The next morning, I dressed smartly in a red skirt and blazer, an ivory shirt with them.
I looked at Jared.
In a suit, he was exceptional. I couldn't tear my eyes from him. I stared.
“You are stunning,” I said. I giggled. He was going to knock them dead.
He smiled shyly. “Thanks.”
We drove to the restaurant the company booked for the event.
When we got there, I had to bite my cheeks. Otherwise the grin would have actually made my face hurt. All the girls stared.
I caught sight of all my colleagues. They looked at him and at me and I felt my heart swell. I was so proud of him.
“So,” Arlington said when I saw her later on the terrace. “Who's he? Come on...”
I smiled. “I told you.”
She frowned. “No, you didn't, Darbs. You're getting confused with telling another person.”
“No,” I said. I couldn't keep the smile off my lips this time. “I told you. He's a cowboy and he's going to college to study logistics. I had to help him with some legal issues back home in Wyoming, but they're fine now. He's here on a visit.”
She rolled her eyes. “Be serious.”
I shrugged. “Fine – think that.”
“I'm going to ask him,” she said boldly.
If she'd hoped to disconcert me, she was about to be proved badly wrong. I shrugged again. “Please.”
She stalked off.
Later, I asked Jared about it. He chuckled.
“I told her what you'd said was true.”
“And?” I asked, a giggle starting to rise in me.
“And she said that wasn't possible.”
I felt the giggle reaching my lips. “What did you say?”
He shrugged. “I told her she needed to get a new dictionary. It was possible. It's happening.”
I laughed. I couldn't help it. I wished I'd seen her. We both collapsed into giggles.
Later, when we'd made love, I leaned over, stroking his handsome face.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He reached up and stroked my hair. “I love you, too,” he said.
We kissed.